Engine arrangement in aircraft



Aug. 22, 1939.

W. BLUME ENGINE ARRANGEMENT IN AIRCRAFT Filed Dec. 23, 1938 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 22, .1939- w. BLUME 2,170,003

ENGI NE ARRANGEMENT IN AIRCRAFT Filed Dec. 25, 1938 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Z I J 2 6 In venfor:

Wa/fer B/ame Afforneys I Patented Aug. 22, 1939 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICEI 2,170,003 ENGINE ARRANGEMENT IN AIRCRAFT Claims.

This invention relates to .an arrangement of the engines in aircraft, more particularly of such engines in which there is provided for two rows of cylinders a common crank-shaft arranged in the direction of the longitudinal axis of the fuselage.

It is already known so to fit into an aeroplane an engine with opposed cylinders that the en- 'gine lies mainly in the interior of the fuselage with parts of its cylinders projecting into the interior of the supporting wings. With this arrangement it is possible to dispense with a gondola for reception of the engine so that such aeroplanes can be constructed with a low air resistance. This 16 arrangement has however only heretofore been possible in single-engine aircraft. In larger aeroplanes and especially in high-speed machines which require two engines or two groups of engines for developing the necessary power, it is go very diflicult to fit the engines within the aeroplane without deforming the profile by addition of gondolas or gondola-like structures.

These drawbacks are avoided by the present invention according to which each engine is ar- 25 ranged partly within the fuselage and partly within the adjacent supporting wing, the engines being operatively connected by means of transmission mechanism with air-screws mounted externally of the fuselage.

With a V arrangement of the cylinders, the two engines or the two groups of engines may be so fitted into the aeroplane that both cylinders or rows of cylinders are located in the interior of the fuselage while the crank cases are located 35 in the roots of the supporting wings.

If with a ninety-degree engine, in which each cylinder is located at right angles to the associated cylinder, or each row of cylinders is located at right angles to the other row of cylin- 40 ders, then it may be advisable to fit both the crank case as also one cylinder or one row of cylinders of each enginein the fuselage and to allow the other cylinder or row of cylinders to project into the root of the appertaining wing.

If there are used engines with cylinders in opposed relation, that is according to the socalled boxer arrangement, then suitably the engine crank case is shifted into the root of the respective wing. One row of cylinders is then 50 fitted in the wing and the other row of cylinders is fitted in the fuselage. Thereby there is effected close adaptation of the dimensions of the engines to the dimensions of the several parts of the aeroplane, as the crank case with its rela- 55 tively large dimensions is fitted in the thickest Application December 23, 1938, Serial No. 247,518

, In Germany January 6, 1938 part of the supporting.wlng, that-is, in the root, while one cylinder projects as a structural unit of less thickness into the wing proper.

Three embodiments of the invention are illustrated in the accompanying drawings in which 5 Figs. 1 to 3 are diagrammatic cross sectional views of an aeroplane structure; Fig. 4 is a plan of Fig. 3.

In the embodiment according to Fig. 1 there are provided two engines I, 2 each with its cylinl0 ders in V relation. The cylinders are arranged within the fuselage and the crank cases are arranged in the roots of the respective wings.

In the modification according to Fig. 2, there are used two ninety-degree engines in which the rows of cylinders of each engine are at right angles to one another. The crank case and one row of cylinders of each engine are arranged in the fuselage, and the other row of cylinders of each engine is arranged in the root of the respective wing.

Fig. 3 shows a machine equipped with two engines with opposed cylind-rs, in so-called boxer" relation. The crank cases are arranged in the roots ofthe respective wings. One row of cylinders of each engine is arranged in the respectiue wing and the other row of cylinders is arranged in the fuselage.

The two engines i, 2 are disposed symmetrically at opposite sides of the vertical central plane of the fuselage. The crank shafts designated I,

2 drive by way of bevel gears 9, l0 transverse shafts-l, 8 which actuate by way of pairs of bevel gears'li, l2; air-screws l3, iii arranged at starboard and port, respectively, with respect to the fuselage. As shown in Fig. 4, the engines I, 2 are arranged between the spars 3, i and 5, 6 of the two supporting wings.

In the examples illustrated, each engine is coupled only with the air-screw adjacent thereto. 40 Both engines may, however, act on the same airscrew, with the interposition of gearing common to the two engines, whereby it is ensured that both air-screws will rotate at the same speed.

To increase the efficiency it is possible to arrange two engines at each side, that is four engines in all, constituting two pairs of engines of whichone engine of each pair is located behind the other in the direction of the axis of fuselage, said engines being coupled together.

I claim: 0

1. In an aeroplane, the combination of a fuselage, supporting wings having roots joined to said fuselage, air-screws mounted exteriorly of said fuselage, engines each comprising at least two 5 cylinders and a crank shaft common to said cylinders, each of said engines being arranged partly within said fuselage and partly within a supporting wing, and transmission mechanism coupling said shafts to said air-screws.

2. In an aeroplane, the combination claimed in. claim 1 in which the engines have cylinders in V relation located in the fuselage and crank cases located in the roots of the wings.

3. In an aeroplane, the combination claimed in claim 1 in which the engines each have rows of cylinders in V relation, of which one row and the engine crank case are located in the fuselage, and the other row is located in the root of a wing.

4. In an aeroplane, the combination claimed in claim. 1 in'which each engine has a. crank case and rows of opposed cylinders, of which one row of cylinders is located in a. wing and the other row located in the fuselage, each of said engines having a crank case located in the root oi. a wing.

5. In an aeroplane, the combination claimed in claim 1 in which each engine has a crank case and rows of opposed cylinders of which one row of cylinders and the crank case. are located in a wing and the other row of cylinders is located partly in the root of the wing and partly in the fuselage. 

